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The War: Utah World War II Stories

Time Frame

10 class periods of 45 minutes each

Life Skills

  • Thinking & Reasoning
  • Communication
  • Social & Civic Responsibility

Authors

DAWN HAUSER

Summary

Designed to complement Utah WWII Stories series, this unit focuses on the contributions World War II veterans made during the war and how those contributions impacted the United States then and now.


Materials

KUED's Utah World War II Stories: The Struggle, Europe, The Pacific, The Home Front.



Visit UEN's Media Hub to download the four KUED video clips. Enter the keywords "Utah World War II Stories" in the Quick search box to locate the videos.


Background for Teachers

This unit is designed to complement KUED's Utah WWII Stories series. Short clips are time marked to be used as primary source material that includes interviews, photographs, film footage, and historical documentary.


Student Prior Knowledge

This unit is designed around the Utah State Social Studies Core Curriculum and should be taught in accordance with state standards and objectives. Student background knowledge will vary according to grade level; elementary teachers should focus on an overview of World War II while secondary teachers should explore the subject in depth.


Intended Learning Outcomes

Students will understand the contributions World War II veterans made during the war and how those contributions impacted the United States then and now.

  1. Why did the United States enter World War II?
  2. How did World War II impact life on the American home front?
  3. How did World War II affect different groups of people in the United States?
  4. How did the United States and its allies change the course of World War II?
  5. How did World War II change the United States and alter its place in the world?


Instructional Procedures

Attachments

  • Academic_Knowledge.doc
    This file contains lesson ideas and resources for addressing the unit's essential questions.
  • I_Search_Project.doc
    This file contains ideas for independent or group research projects/presentations that utilize multiples levels of thinking skills.
  • Moral_Dilemmas.doc
    This file contains instructional dilemmas which allow students to put themselves in the place of individuals living in America/Utah during World War II.
  • Productive_Thinking.doc
    This file contains ideas for promoting productive thinking on the topic of the United States during World War II.
  • Unit_Identification_List.doc
    This file contains general terms students should be familiar with in their study of the United States during World War II.
  • Utah_WWII_Stories.doc
    This file contains a detailed outline of each of the four documentaries in KUED's Utah World War II Stories series and includes a time map for quick video reference.

Several different approaches should be implemented while examining the U.S. role in World War II and the American home front. These teaching approaches should include (as appropriate) lectures, individual and group readings, cooperative group work, applicable audio and visual materials as well as pertinent technology resources.

Students should occasionally be asked to put themselves in the place of those who experienced life during World War II and to draw connections between events and attitudes of then and now in order to encourage critical thinking and reasoning skills.


Strategies for Diverse Learners

Students will participate in various activities and assignments that utilize multiple levels of thinking skills. Choice is integral in helping students demonstrate their understanding and work to their individual strengths, and students will have opportunity for hands-on learning and practical application. Emphasis will be placed on utilizing critical thinking and reasoning skills during each phase of the instructional unit.


Extensions

The War: Educational Resources
Web sites, lesson plans, and additional World War II resources.

Resources

  1. KUED's Utah World War II Stories, Produced/Directed by Elizabeth Searles, University of Utah, 2006.
  2. Aeseng, Nathan. Navajo Code Talkers. New York: Walker & Company, 1992.
  3. Avi, Don't You Know There's A War On? New York: Scholastic, 2003.
  4. Black, Brian. America At War! New York: Scholastic, 1992.
  5. Colman, Penny. Rosie the Riveter. New York: Crown Publishers, Inc., 1995.
  6. Houston-Wakatsuki, Jeanne. Farewell to Manzanar. New York: Bantam Books, 1973.
  7. Jeffries, John W. Wartime America: The World War II Home Front. Chicago: Ivan R. Dee, 1996.
  8. McGowen, Tom. World War II. New York: Franklin Watts, 1993.
  9. Oppenheim, Joanne. Dear Miss Breed. New York: Scholastic, 2006.
  10. Osborne, Mary Pope. My Secret War. New York: Scholastic, 2000.
  11. Osgood, Charles. Defending Baltimore Against Enemy Attack: A Boyhood Year During World War II. New York: Hyperion, 2004.
  12. Powell, Allan Kent. Splinters of A Nation: German Prisoners of War in Utah. Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press, 1991.
  13. Schultz, Stanley. World War II: The Impact at Home.
  14. Sullivan, George. The Day Pearl Harbor was Bombed. New York: Scholastic, 1001.
  15. Whitman, Sylvia. Children of the World War II Home Front. Minneapolis: Carolrhoda Books, Inc., 2001.


Assessment Plan

Attachments

  • Unit_Evaluation.doc
    This file contains a sample rubric that can be used in the evaluation of this instructional unit.


Bibliography

KUED 7        Utah Education Network


Rubrics

Created: 08/29/2007
Updated: 02/05/2018
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